R.E.M. Guitarist's Air-Rage Trial Collapses

The air-rage trial of American rock star Peter Buck collapsed after the judge discharged the jury, court officials said Tuesday. Buck, guitarist for renowned rock band R.E.M., was due to begin the second day of his trial for an alleged drunken attack on a plane in April.

No reason was given for the dismissal of the jury.

Buck, 44, had pleaded not guilty to charges of assaulting cabin crew, being drunk on an aircraft and damaging property on board a British Airways flight from Seattle to London.

The prosecution will return to the court at a future date to say whether they want to ask for a retrial.

The U.S. band R.E.M. has sold an estimated 40 million records worldwide, according to their record company Warner Brothers.

Formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 with a line-up of Buck, lead singer Michael Stipe, Mike Mills and Bill Berry, the band has released a dozen albums and such hits as “Losing My Religion” and “Everybody Hurts.”